Draconomicon: Dungeons & Dragons Accessory

305 Pages·2003·6.95 MB·English

by  Andy Collins

D R A C O N O M I C O N ™
Andy Collins, Skip Williams, James Wyatt
D E V E L O P E R A R T D I R E C T O R
Andy Collins Dawn Murin
C O V E R A R T
D E S I G N A S S I S T A N C E
Todd Lockwood
Ed Stark, Gwendolyn F.M. Kestrel
I N T E R I O R A R T I S T S
E D I T O R S
Michele Carter, Dale Donovan, Wayne England, Emily Fiegenschuh,
Gwendolyn F.M. Kestrel, Charles Ryan Lars Grant-West, Rebecca Guay-Mitchell,
David Hudnut, Jeremy Jarvis, Ginger Kubic,
M A N A G I N G E D I T O R John & Laura Lakey, Todd Lockwood,
Kim Mohan David Martin, Dennis Crabapple-
McClain, Matt Mitchell, Mark Nelson,
D & D D E S I G N M A N A G E R Steve Prescott, Vinod Rams, Richard
Ed Stark Sardinha, Ron Spencer, Stephen Tappin,
Joel Thomas, Ben Thompson, Sam Wood
D I R E C T O R O F R P G R & D
Bill Slavicsek G R A P H I C D E S I G N E R S
Dawn Murin, Mari Kolkowski
VICE PRESIDENT OF PUBLISHING
Mary Kirchoff C A R T O G R A P H E R
Todd Gamble
P R O J E C T M A N A G E R
Martin Durham GRAPHIC PRODUCTION SPECIALISTS
Erin Dorries, Angelika Lokotz
P R O D U C T I O N M A N A G E R ORIGINAL INTERIOR DESIGN
Chas DeLong Sean Glenn
This d20™ System game utilizes mechanics developed for the new Dungeons & Dragons®game by Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook,
Skip Williams, Richard Baker, and Peter Adkison.
This WIZARDSOFTHECOAST®product contains no Open Game Content. No portion of this work may be reproduced in any form with-
out written permission. To learn more about the Open Gaming License and the d20 System License, please visit
www.wizards.com/d20.
Playtesters: Greg Collins, Jesse Decker, Viet Nguyen, Marc Russell, Dennis Worrell
Valuable advice provided by Todd Lockwood and Sam Wood (Dragon Anatomy and Motion), Monica Shellman and Michael S.
Webster (Dragon Names)
Resources for this product (and the authors of those works) include Atlas of Animal Anatomy(W. Ellenburg and H. Deittrich), Book of
Eldritch Might (Monte Cook/Malhavoc Press), Book of Vile Darkness (Monte Cook), Bulfinch’s Mythology (Thomas Bulfinch),
Transformations of Myth Through Time(Joseph Campbell), “Class Acts: Dragonkith,” Dragon Magazine #284(Monte Cook), Council of
Wyrms(Bill Slavicsek), Defenders of the Faith(Rich Redman and James Wyatt), AD&D®2nd Edition Draconomicon(Nigel Findley,
Christopher Kubasik, Carl Sargent, John Terra, and William Tracy), “Dragontongue: A Draconic Language Primer,” Dragon
Magazine #284(Owen K. C. Stephens), Forgotten Realms®Campaign Setting(Ed Greenwood, Sean K Reynolds, Skip Williams, and
Rob Heinsoo), The Golden Bough(James George Frazer), AD&D 1st Edition Monster Manual(Gary Gygax), Monsters of Faerun(James
Wyatt and Rob Heinsoo), AD&D 2nd Edition Monstrous Manual, Oriental Adventures(James Wyatt), Savage Species(Jennifer Clarke
Wilkes, David Eckelberry, and Rich Redman), Tome and Blood(Bruce Cordell and Skip Williams).
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Contents Advanced Dragons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99 Magma Drake. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Sample Advanced Dragon. . . . . . . . 100 Ooze Drake. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Smoke Drake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Chapter 3: The Player’s Water Drake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Perspective. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101 Faerie Dragon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Chapter 1: All About Dragons. . . . . . . . . 5 Fighting a Dragon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101 Fang Dragon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
The Dragon’s Body. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Forewarned Is Forearmed. . . . . . . . 101 Felldrake, Spiked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Dragon Physiology. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Limit the Battlefield. . . . . . . . . . . . . 101 Ghostly Dragon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Dragon Life Cycle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 The Element of Surprise . . . . . . . . . 102 Golem. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Dragon Senses. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Spread Out, Concentrate Attacks. . 102 Dragonbone Golem. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Flight. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Don’t Stay Too Long. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103 Drakestone Golem. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164 COTA
Other Modes of Movement. . . . . . . . . . 19 Feats. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103 Ironwyrm Golem. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165 NB
Combat Abilities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 New Spells. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106 Half-Dragon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166 TELE
Dragon Weaknesses. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Cleric Domains. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107 Hoard Scarab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167 N O
TF
Outlook and Psychology. . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Spell Descriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109 Landwyrm. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168 S
Dragon Society. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Dragonhide Armor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115 Desert Landwyrm. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Language. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Dragoncraft Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116 Forest Landwyrm. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Religion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Magic Items. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118 Hill Landwyrm. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Dragons by Kind. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Armor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118 Jungle Landwyrm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Dragon Sizes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Weapons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118 Mountain Landwyrm. . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Black Dragons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Rings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119 Plains Landwyrm. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Blue Dragons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Rods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119 Swamp Landwyrm. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Brass Dragons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Staffs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119 Tundra Landwyrm. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Bronze Dragons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Wondrous Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119 Underdark Landwyrm. . . . . . . . . . . 175
Copper Dragons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Minor Artifact . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121 Planar Dragons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
Gold Dragons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Prestige Classes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122 Battle Dragon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
Green Dragons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Dracolyte. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122 Chaos Dragon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Red Dragons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Dragonkith. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123 Ethereal Dragon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Silver Dragons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Dragonrider. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124 Howling Dragon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
White Dragons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Dragonslayer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125 Oceanus Dragon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Dragonsong Lyrist. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127 Pyroclastic Dragon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Chapter 2: A DM’s Guide Dragonstalker. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128 Radiant Dragon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
to Dragons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Hoardstealer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130 Rust Dragon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Dragons in the Campaign. . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Initiate of the Draconic Styx Dragon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Running a Dragon Encounter. . . . . . . . 59 Mysteries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131 Tarterian Dragon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
The Mechanics of Melee. . . . . . . . . . 59 Platinum Knight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133 Shadow Dragon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Fighting on the Wing. . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Talon of Tiamat. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134 Skeletal Dragon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Using a Breath Weapon. . . . . . . . . . . 62 Dragons in the Party . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136 Squamous Spewer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
To Breathe or Not to Breathe?. . . . . . 63 Dragons’ Advantages Storm Drake. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Using Special Attack Forms . . . . . . . 64 and Disadvantages. . . . . . . . . . . . . 136 Vampiric Dragon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Dragons as Spellcasters. . . . . . . . . . . . 65 Dragons as Mounts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136 Zombie Dragon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Dragon Feats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Dragons as Cohorts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Feat Descriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 Dragons as Special Mounts. . . . . . . 139 Chapter 5: Sample Dragons. . . . . . . . . 199
Dragon Spells. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 Dragons as Familiars. . . . . . . . . . . . . 141 Customizing the Dragons. . . . . . . . . . . 199
Spell Descriptions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 Dragons as Player Characters. . . . . . . . 141 Sample Black Dragons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Dragon Magic Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 Sample Blue Dragons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Lair Wards. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 Chapter 4: New Monsters. . . . . . . . . . . 145 Sample Brass Dragons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
Dragon Prestige Classes . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86 Abyssal Drake. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145 Sample Bronze Dragons. . . . . . . . . . . . 223
Bloodscaled Fury. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86 Monsters by Type (and Subtype) . . . . 146 Sample Copper Dragons. . . . . . . . . . . . 233
Disciple of Ashardalon. . . . . . . . . . . . 87 Dracolich. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146 Sample Gold Dragons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
Dispassionate Watcher Draconic Creature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149 Sample Green Dragons. . . . . . . . . . . . . 247
of Chronepsis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89 Dragonkin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150 Sample Red Dragons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254
Dragon Ascendant. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90 Dragonnel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150 Sample Silver Dragons . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263
Elemental Master. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92 Elemental Drake. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152 Sample White Dragons. . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
Hidecarved Dragon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94 Air Drake. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Sacred Warder of Bahamut . . . . . . . . 96 Earth Drake. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153 Appendix 1: The Dragon’s Hoard. . . . 277
Unholy Ravager of Tiamat. . . . . . . . . 97 Fire Drake. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Ice Drake. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154 Appendix 2: Index of Dragons. . . . . . 286 3
Introduction actions, their schemes, even their dreams are felt through-
out the world. From a wyrmling raiding herds of sheep to
The dragon reared, roaring, clawing at air the mighty Ashardalon feasting on preincarnate souls,
And belching fire, and began to lunge down dragons do things that matter, whether on a small local
Upon Dydd, but the druid slashed into scale or in the cosmic big picture. They are the embodi-
Ashardalon’s heart, her scimitar cut ment of fantasy itself.
And the lifeblood began to spill. Then Dydd That, in a nutshell, is the reason for this book. Dragons
Was slain, her heart wrested from her breast by are such a central part of the game that a rules reference
The dragon’s grasping jaws, swallowed, consumed of this nature is an essential addition to any campaign,
N To sustain Ashardalon’s ebbing life enhancing the excitement of draconic encounters for
O
I For a time. . . . players and Dungeon Mastersalike. A DM will find infor-
T
C —The Lay of Dydd mationhere on the powers and tactics of dragons, as well
U
as a wealth of new feats, spells, magic items, and prestige
D
O More than any other creature, dragons are a symbol of all classes designed to make dragon encounters more interest-
R
T that is the DUNGEONS& DRAGONS®game. From the savage ing, challenging, and unusual. In case the dragons already
N
white to the majestic gold, dragons represent the greatest described in the Monster Manual and other books are not
I
perils adventurers face at any point in their careers, as well enough, this book also presents a variety of new dragon-
as the greatest rewards they may hope to claim. From the related monsters of all types to include in the game. Players,
tiny wyrmling at the bottom of an adventurer’s very first meanwhile, can unearth dragonslaying tactics and take
dungeon to the colossal great wyrm he meets at the height advantage of new feats and spells, magic items, and prestige
of his career, dragons are the ultimate climactic encounter: classes to make their characters the ultimate dragon slayers,
a brutal and memorable fight that will pay off in riches dragon riders, or even dragon servants.
from the dragon’s hoard. Draconomiconis not just about the rules, tactics, and ecol-
Dragons are creatures of myth, often described as the first ogy of dragons, however. The illustrations in this book are
sentient race to appear on a world, with life spans that intended to inspire a fresh sense of wonder and awe at the
stretch over hundreds of years. They symbolize the world creatures that make up such an important part of the D&D
itself and embody its history, and the oldest dragons are game. Dragons are rapacious, arrogant, and deadly—but
repositories of vast knowledge and ancient secrets. This they are also majestic, awesome, and magnificent. A renewed
aspect of dragons makes them much more than just a chal- sense of the grandeur of dragons might not have as con-
lenging combat encounter: They are sages and oracles, fonts crete or noticeable an impact on your game as all the new
of wisdom and prophets of things to come. Their very rules you will find in this book, but its influence will surely
appearance can be an omen of good or ill fortune. be felt around your gaming table.
Perhaps most important, dragons are a reminder that Let this book inspire you. Whether you use it to build
the action of the D&D game takes place in a world of fan- new draconic adversaries and exciting dragon lairs stocked
tasy, wonder, and magic, a world far from mundane in with legendary treasure, or to build a character who rides
every way. Any attempt to describe them as little more a silver dragon into battle against the servants of Tiamat,
than glorified lizards with wings and breath weapons is a you are sure to find not just the rules you want, but the
disservice, not only to dragons, but to the fantasy universe wonder you need to make your game more fun. Dragons
of D&D and the wealth of legends, myths, and heroic sto- are creatures of legend, and with this book you can be a
ries that place dragons in such an iconic position that part of that legend. Retell it, relive it, reshape it in your
they had to be a part of the very name of the game. Dragons character’s or your campaign’s image. Draconomicon will
are, by their very nature, epic forces in the world. Their show you how.
pqqqqrs
THE DIFFERENT KINDS OF DRAGONS
In the D&D game, the term “dragon” encompasses a number a complete list of all true dragons that have been presented in
of different creatures, some of which bear little resemblance to official sources.
the great flying creatures with breath weapons that we commonly Other creatures of the dragon type that do not advance
think of as dragons. through age categories are referred to as lesser dragons (which
For the most part, this book concerns itself with the ten should not be taken to mean that they are necessarily less
varieties of true dragon described in the Monster Manual— formidable than true dragons).
the five chromatic dragons (black, blue, green, red, white) and The three kinds of lesser dragon described in the Monster
the five metallic dragons (brass, bronze, copper, gold, silver). Manual are the dragon turtle, the pseudodragon, and the
True dragons are those creatures that become more powerful wyvern.Chapter 4 of this book contains a number of descrip-
as they grow older. tions of other lesser dragons, and Appendix 2 lists every lesser
A number of other true dragons are described in Chapter 4 dragon that has been described in a DUNGEONS& DRAGONSrule-
of this book. In addition, Appendix 2: Index of Dragons provides book or accessory.
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wealth of material, from bard’s tales and ponderous EXTERNAL ANATOMY
tomes alike, has been recorded about dragons. Despite its scales and wings, a dragon’s body has fea-
Unfortunately for adventurers planning to con- tures that seem more feline than reptilian. Refer to
front a dragon, most of that information is wrong. the illustrations on the next few pages as you read on.
The opening chapter of this book presents the Like a cat’s eye, a dragon’s eye has a comparatively
truth about dragons—their types, habits, physiology, and large iris with a vertical pupil. This arrangement
worldview. allows the pupil to open extremely wide and admit
much more light than a human eye can.
The sclera, or “white,” of a dragon’s eye is often
THE DRAGON’S BODY
yellow, gold, green, orange, red, or silver, with an
“How can one imagine anything more magnificent than . . . a iris of a darker, contrasting color.
dragon, the paragon of creation?” To a casual observer, a dragon’s pupils always
—Bheilorveilthion, red wyrm look like vertical slits. If one were to look very
closely into a dragon’s eye, however, one could
“Nothing but a bunch of vain, glorified flying reptiles, if you see a second iris and pupil within the first. The
ask me!” dragon can shift and rotate this inner aperture
—Hatredymaes, androsphinx up to 90 degrees, so that the inner pupil can
overlay the outer one or lie at a right angle to it.
At first glance, a true dragon resembles a reptile. It has a This ocular structure gives a dragon extremely
muscular body, a long, thick neck, a horned or frilled accurate depth perception and focusing abil-
head with a toothy mouth, and a sinuous tail. The crea- ity no matter how much or how little light is
ture walks on four powerful legs with clawed feet, and it available.
flies using its vast, batlike wings. Heavy scales cover a A dragon’s eye is protected by a leathery
dragon from the tip of its tail to end of its snout. As outer eyelid and three smooth inner eyelids, or
you’ll see from the details to come, however, that first nictitating membranes. The innermost mem-
glance doesn’t begin to tell the whole story about the brane is crystal clear and serves to protect the
5
nature of dragons. eye from damage while the dragon flies,
fights, swims, or burrows with its eyes open. The other two death. Other dragons have mastered the technique of grab-
eyelids mainly serve to keep the inner membrane and the bing prey and swallowing it whole.
surface of the eye clean. They are thicker than the inner- Some dragon hunters boast that they can hold a dragon’s
most membrane and less clear. A dragon can use these mouth closed, preventing the creature from biting. It is true
inner lids to protect its eyes from sudden flashes of bright that a dragon applies more force when closing its jaws than
light. A dragon’s eyes glow in the dark, but the dragon can it does when opening them; however, holding a dragon’s
hide the glow by closing one or more of its inner eyelids; mouth closed still requires prodigious strength. Even if an
doing this does not affect its vision. foe were to succeed in clamping its jaws shut, the dragon is
A dragon’s ears often prove indistinguishable from the likely to throw off the opponent with one flick of its head,
frills that frame its head, especially when the dragon is at claw its attacker to ribbons, or both.
:
R 1UTNS rest. The ears of an an active dragon, however, constantly The spines, frills, and other projections
EOO twitch and swivel as the dragon tracks sounds. thatadorn a dragon’s head
TB
G Not all dragons have external ears; bur- make the creature look
PA
A
AL R rowing and aquatic dragons usu- fearsome, and that is their
HLD
A ally have simple ear holes main function.
C
protected by an overhang- A dragon’s horn is a keratinous
ing fringe. projection growing directly from
A dragon’s mouth the dragon’s skull. A dragon with
features powerful horns that point backward can use
jaws, a forked the horns for grooming, and they also
tongue, and help protect the dragon’s upper neck in combat.
Horns projecting from the sides of a dragon’s head
help protect the head.
A dragon’s spines are keratinous, but softer
and more flexible than its horns. The spines are
imbedded in the dragon’s skin and anchored to
the skeleton by ligaments. Most spines are
d
o located along the dragon’s back and tail. Unlike
o
w
k horns, spines are mobile, with a range of motion
Loc that varies with the kind of dragon and the
T.
y spines’ location on the drag-
b
us. on’s body. The spines
Ill along a dragon’s back,
for example, can only be
raised or lowered, whereas
the spines supporting a dragon’s ears can be moved many
different ways.
The frills on a dragon’s back and tail help keep the dragon
sharp teeth. The exact num- stable when flying or swimming.
ber and size of a dragon’s teeth depend on the dragon’s age, To a scholar who knows something about the natural
habitat, and diet; however, a dragon’s array of teeth usually world, a dragon’s powerful legs are decidedly nonreptilian,
includes four well-developed fangs (two upper, two lower) despite their scaly coverings. A dragon’s legs are positioned
that curve slightly inward and have cutting edges on both more or less directly under its body, in the manner of mam-
the inner and outer surfaces. A dragon uses its fangs to mals. (Most reptiles’ legs tend to splay out to the sides, offer-
impale and kill prey, and they serve as the dragon’s pri- ing much less support and mobility than a dragon or
mary weapons. mammal enjoys.)
Immediately in front of the fangs in each jaw lie the A dragon’s four feet resemble those of a great bird. Each
dragon’s incisors, which are oval in cross-section and have foot has three or four clawed toes facing forward (the
serrated edges at the top. When a dragon bites down on number varies, even among dragons of the same kind), plus
large prey, these teeth cut out a semicircle of flesh. an additional toe, also with a claw, set farther back on the
Behind the fangs in each jaw, a dragon has a row of peglike foot and facing slightly inward toward the dragon’s body,
molars that help it grip prey. A dragon is not well equipped like a human’s thumb.
for chewing, and it typically tears prey into chunks small Although a dragon’s front feet are not truly prehensile, a
enough to gulp down. A dragon can create a sawing motion dragon can grasp objects with its front feet, provided they
with its incisors by wiggling its lower jaw and shaking its are not too small. This grip is not precise enough for tool
head from side to side, allowing the incisors to quickly shear use, writing, or wielding a weapon, but a dragon can hold
through flesh and bone. and carry objects. A dragon also is capable of wielding
6 Many dragons learn to seize prey and literally shake it to magical devices, such as wands, and can complete somatic
components required for the spells it can cast (see Spell- new scale on a dragon’s massive body seldom leaves the
casting,below). Some dragons are adroit enough to seize dragon particularly vulnerable to attack.
prey in their front claws and carry it aloft. A dragon’s long, muscular tail serves mainly as a rudder
A dragon can use the “thumbs” on its rear feet to grasp as in flight. A dragon also uses its tail for propulsion when
well, but the grip is less precise than that of the front feet. swimming, and as a weapon.
A dragon’s skin resembles crocodile hide—tough, leath- A dragon’s wings consist of a membrane of scaleless hide
ery. and thick. Unlike a crocodile, however, a dragon has stretched over a framework of strong but lightweight bones.
hundreds of hard, durable scales covering its body. A Immensely powerful muscles in the dragon’s chest provide
dragon’s scales are keratinous, like its spines. Unlike the power for flight.
spines, however, a dragon’s scales are not attached to its Most dragons have wings that resemble bat wings, with a
C
skeleton, and the dragon cannot make them move. The relatively short supporting alar limb, ending in a vestigial DAH
L
scales are much harder and less flexible than the spines, claw that juts forward. Most of the wing area comes from RLA
A AP
with a resistance to blows that exceeds that of steel. a membrane stretched over elongated “fingers” of bone GBT
O
A dragon’s largest scales are attached to its hide along (the alar phalanges; see Skeleton, below), which stretch NOUER
one edge and overlap their neighbors like shingles on a far beyond the alar limb. S T 1
roof or the articulated plates in a suit of armor. These scales Some kinds of dragons have wings that run the lengths of :
cover the dragon’s neck, underbelly, toes, and tail. As the their bodies, something like the “wings” of manta rays. This
dragon moves its body, the scales tend to shift as the skin sort of wing also has an alar limb with phalanges supporting
and muscle under them moves, and the scales’ free ends the forward third of the wing, but the remainder of the wing
sometimes rise up slightly. This phenomenon has led some is supported by modified frill spines that have only a limited
observers to mistakenly conclude that a dragon can raise range of motion and muscular control.
and lower its scales in the same manner as a bird fluffing
its feathers. Inside the Dragon’s Eye
The majority of a dragon’s scales are smaller and attached Most scholars remain unaware of how complex and unusual
to the skin near their centers. These scales interlock with a dragon’s eye really is. In addition to its four layers of eye-
neighboring scales, giving the surface of the body a pebbly lids and its double pupil, a dragon’s eye also has a double
texture. The scales are large enough to form lens. The outer lens (1) is much the same
a continuous layer of natural armor as any other creature’s in form and
over the body even when it function. The inner lens (2), however,
stretches or bulges to its is a mass of transparent muscle fibers that
greatest extent. When can polarize incoming light. The inner lens
the body relaxes or also serves to magnify what the dragon
contracts, the skin sees, and helps account for the drag-
under the scales on’s superior long-
tends to fold and distance vision.
wrinkle, though the A dragon’s ret-
➊ ➌
interlocking scales inas (3) are packed
give the body a fairly ➋ with receptors
smooth look. forboth color and
A dragon’s scales black-and-white vision.
grow throughout Behind the retina lies the tapetum
its lifetime, albeit lucidum (4), a reflective layer that helps the
very slowly. Unlike dragon see in dim light. A dragon literally
most other scaled crea- sees light twice, once when it strikes
➍
tures, a dragon neither sheds the retina and again when it is
its skin nor sheds individual scales. reflected back. It is the tapetum
Instead, its individual scales grow larger, and it lucidum that makes a dragon’s eyes seem to
also grows new scales as its body gets bigger. Over the years, glow in the dark.
a scale may weather and crack near the edges, but its slow
growth usually proves sufficient to replace any portion that INTERNAL ANATOMY
breaks off. Dragons occasionally lose scales, especially if As you’ll see from the following section, a dragon’s resem-
they become badly damaged. Old scales often litter the blance to a reptile is literally only skin deep. Refer to the
floors of long-occupied dragon lairs. accompanying illustrations as you read on.
When a dragon loses a scale, it usually grows a new one in
its place. The new scale tends to be smaller than its neigh- Skeleton
bors and usually thinner and weaker as well. This phenom- Although complete dragon skeletons are hard to come by,
enon is what gives rise to bards’ tales about chinks in a most scholars agree that a little more than 500 bones com-
dragon’s armor. These tales are true as far as they go, but one prise a dragon’s skeleton, compared to slightly more than 7
200 bones in a human skeleton. The bones in a dragon’s Draconic language (see page 28) contains many harsh sounds
wings and spine account for most of the difference. and sibilants, conclude that a dragon’s vocal capacity is lim-
Dragon bones are immensely ited, but this is not so. Dragons speak a strident language
strong, yet exceptionally light. because it suits them to do so.
In cross-section they look The trachea (4)connects the larynx to the lungs.
hollow, with thick walls made It is the dragon’s conduit for respiration and also for
up of concentric circles of its breath weapon.
small chambers staggered like A dragon’s vast lungs (5) fill much of its chest cavity.
brickwork. Layers of sturdy The lung structure resembles that of an avian, which can
connective tissue and blood extract oxygen both
:
R 1UTNS vessels run between the layers. ➍ on inhalation and exha-
EOO The accompanying diagram lation. In addition to being
TB
G shows a dragon skeleton in detail. the organs for respiration, a
PA
A
AL R Significant parts of the skeleton are ➍ dragon’s breath weapon is generated
HLD
A briefly discussed below. in its lungs from secretions produced
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The keel, or sternum (1), serves as by the draconis fundamentum (see below).
an anchor for the dragon’s flight mus- A dragon’s mighty heart (6) has four
cles. The scapula draconis (2) supports chambers, just like a mammal’s heart.
the wing. The metacarpis draconis (3) ➍ The draconis
and alar phalanges (4) in each wing sup- fundamentum
➍
port most of the wing’s flight surface. In (7)is a gland possessed
➌
some dragons, the ulna draconic only by true dragons. Attached
(5) has an extension called the ➌ ➌ to the heart, it is the center of ele-
alar olecranon (6) that lends mental activity inside the dragon’s body.
extra support to the wing. ➌ All blood flowing from the heart passes
The thirteenth cervical through this organ before going to the body. The
vertebra (7) marks the base draconis fundamentum charges the lungs with power
d
o of a dragon’s neck. Every true for a dragon’s breath weapon and also plays a major
o
w
k dragon, no matter how large ➎ role in the dragon’s highly efficient
Loc or small, has exactly 13 metabolism, which con-
T. ➏
y cervical vertebrae, 12 verts the vast majority of
b
us. thoracic vertebrae, 7 whatever the creature consumes
Ill lumbar vertebrae, and into usable energy. Blood vessels,
36 caudal vertebrae. ➐ ➋ nerves, and ducts run directly from the draconis
fundamentum to the dragon’s flight
Major Internal Organs muscles, charging them with
The insides of a dragon have several note- enormous energy, and also to
worthy features, all of which contribute to the lungs and the gizzard.
the dragon’s unique capabilities. A dragon digests its
➊
A dragon’s eyes (1) are slightly larger than food through a combina-
they appear from the outside. The bulk of the tion of powerful muscular
eye remains buried inside the skull, with only action and elemental force.
a small portion of the whole exposed when The interior of the gizzard
a dragon opens its eyes. The (8) is lined with bony plates
eye’s extra size helps improve that grind up chunks of
the dragon’s ability to see at a distance. food, and the entire organ is
The eye’s spherical shape allows the dragon to move the eye charged with the same elemental energy that
through a wide arc, helping to expand its field of vision. the dragon uses for its breath weapon.
A dragon’s brain (2) is exceptionally large, even for such a
big creature, and it continues to grow as the dragon grows. Musculature
It has highly developed sensory centers with specialized Intact dragon carcasses are even more rare than intact dragon
lobes that connect directly to the eyes, ears, and nasal pas- skeletons, making any catalog of a dragon’s muscles unreliable
sages. The brain also has large areas dedicated to memory at best. Given the number of bones in a dragon skeleton, how-
and reasoning. ever, a dragon’s muscles must number in the thousands.
The larynx (3) contains numerous well-developed vocal Overall, a dragon’s musculature resembles that of a great
folds that give a dragon tremendous control over the tone cat, but with much larger muscles in the chest, neck, and
and pitch of its voice. A dragon’s voice can be as shrill as a tail. The illustration on page 10 identifies the major
8 crow’s or as deep as a giant’s. Some scholars, noting that the muscle groups in a dragon’s body.
➋
➌
➊
➍
C
DAH
L
RLA
A AP
G
➎ OBT
OE
NUR
S T 1
:
➑
➏
➐
I
llu
s. b
y
M
. N
e
lso
Of most interest to scholars are the muscles involved in Scholars disagree on some key aspects of dragon life, but n
flight. These muscles can exert tremendous force and con- dragons themselves have few doubts.
sume equally tremendous amounts of energy (which the dra-
conis fundamentum supplies). The flight muscles are located METABOLISM
in the chest and in the wings themselves. The alar pectoral Laypeople, and some scholars, are fond of the terms “cold-
(1) is the main flight muscle and is used on the wing’s down- blooded” and “warm-blooded” to describe ectothermic and
stroke. The alar lattisimus dorsai (2) draws the wing up and endothermic creatures, respectively.
back. The alar deltoid (3) and alar cleidomastoid (4) draw the An ectothermic creature lacks the ability to produce its
wings up and forward. own heat and must depend on its environment for warmth.
The muscles of the wings serve mainly to control the Most ectothermic creatures seldom actually have cold
wing’s shape, which in turn helps the dragon maneuver in blood, because they are able to find environmental heat to
the air. The alar tricep (5) and alar bicep (6) fold and unfold warm their bodies.
the wings. The alar carpi ulnaris (7) and alar carpi radialus An endothermic creature doesn’t necessarily have warm
(8) allow the wings to warp and twist. blood. What it has is a body temperature that remains
more or less steady no matter how hot or cold its surround-
ings become.
DRAGON PHYSIOLOGY
All true dragons are endothermic. Given their elemental
“Dragons are scaly, they lay eggs, and they are utterly lacking in any nature, they could hardly be otherwise. A dragon’s body tem-
mammalian characteristics. The notion that they are warm- perature depends on its kind and sometimes on its age. Drag-
blooded is silly.” ons that use fire have the highest body temperatures, and
—Aloysius Egon Greegier, armchair dragon scholar dragons that use cold have the lowest. Acid- and electricity-
using dragons have body temperatures that fall between the
“Just like a humanoid to quote three facts, get one of them wrong, two extremes, with acid-users tending to have cooler bodies
and then draw an unrelated conclusion from the lot.” than electricity-users. Fire-using dragons literally become
—Kacdaninymila, young adult gold dragon, upon reading hotter with age. Likewise, cold-using dragons become colder
Greegier’s statement as they age. Acid- and electricity-using dragons have about 9
the same body temperature out as humble eggs and progress through twelve distinct life
throughout their lives, with stages, each marked by new developments in the
younger and smaller dragons dragon’s body, mind, or behavior.
having slightly higher tem-
peratures than older and EGGS
larger ones. Dragon eggs vary in size depending on the kind
Unlike most endothermic of dragon. They are generally the same color
creatures, dragons have no as the dragon that laid
obvious way to shed excess them and the have the
body heat. They do not sweat, same energy immunities as
:
R 1UTNS nor do they pant. Instead, the the dragon that laid them (for
EOO draconis fundamentum extracts example, black dragon eggs are
TB
G heat from the bloodstream and black or dark gray and impervi-
PA
A
AL R stores the energy. In a sense, then, a ous to acid). A dragon egg has
HLD
A dragon can be considered ectother- an elongated ovoid shape and
C
mic (because it can use environmen- a hard, stony shell.
tal heat). However, when a dragon is A female dragon
deprived of an external heat source, its can produce eggs
metabolism and activity level do not beginning at her young
change. Unlike a truly ectothermic creature, adult stage and remains fer-
a dragon can generate its own tile though the very old stage.
body heat and is not slowed or Males are capable of fertilizing
forced into hibernation by eggs beginning at the young adult
exposure to cold. stage and remain fertile through
the wyrm stage.
DIET The eggs are fertilized inside
Dragons are carnivores ➑ the female’s body and are ready
od and top predators, ➐ for laying about a quarter of the
o
w
k though in practice way through the incubation
Loc they are omnivo- ➎ ➏ period, as shown on the table
T.
y rous and eat almost below. The numbers given
b ➌
us. anything if necessary. A dragon can ➋ on the table are approximate;
Ill literally eat rock or dirt and survive. actual periods can vary by as
Some dragons, particularly the metal- ➍ much as 10 days either way.
lic ones, subsist primarily on inorganic ➊
fare. Such dining habits, however, are cul- Laying Dragon Eggs
tural in origin. Dragon eggs are laid in
Unfortunately for a dragon’s neighbors, clutches of two to five as
the difference between how much a dragon often as once a year. Ovula-
must eat and how much it is able to eat is tion begins with mating,
vast. Most dragons can easily and a female dragon can pro-
consume half their own duce eggs much less often, if
weight in meat every day, and many she wishes, simply by not
gladly do so if sufficient prey is available. Even after habit- pqs
ual gorging, a dragon seldom gets fat. Instead, it converts its
food into elemental energy and stores it for later use. Much
RULES: DRAGON EGGS
of this stored energy is expended on breath weapons and on
Although it contains a living embryo, treat a dragon egg as an
the numerous growth spurts (see below) that a dragon expe- inanimate object with the following statistics.
riences throughout its life.
Dragon Egg Game Statistics
Hardness/ Break
DRAGON LIFE CYCLE
Egg Size Length* Weight Hit Points DC
“From the tiny egg the great wyrm grows.” Tiny 1 ft. 1 lb. 8/10 12
Small 2 ft. 8 lb. 10/15 13
—Kobold proverb
Medium 4 ft. 60 lb. 10/20 15
*A dragon egg has a maximum diameter equal to about
Barring some misfortune, a dragon can expect to live in good
1/2 its length.
health for 1,200 years, possibly even a great deal longer, pqs
10 depending on its general fitness. All dragons, however, start